One sunny afternoon, I decided to go for a walk. It was a straight walk from where I stayed, I had become quite familiar with the neighborhood so unless I opened my mouth to speak, I seemingly fit in. I smiled as I walked, admiring the different styles on various women. I realized that Senegalese women had a flair of dressing. The women carried themselves with dignity and pride, regardless of whatever status they belonged to, they all held their head up high! The men were ve

Homocysteine Homocysteine is a common amino acid found in our blood, and a homologue to cysteine. First discovered in 1932 by Butz and Vigneaud, and eventually identified for its role in promoting arteriosclerosis in 1969 (McCully, 2004). New studies in 2016 and 2017 are now linking high levels of homocysteine to degenerative brain disorders, and other illnesses ( (Refsum & Smith, 2017). As we age, our ability to enzymatically metabolize and absorb folic acid is compromised,

Some highlights of my trips to Senegal by Shakuwra Dabre, board member, Cisse Niass Project. An afternoon rain in Kaolack is so refreshing. One afternoon, I took a quick little walk up to the terrace of the house where I stayed, during my visit in Senegal. It was the end of July and it was getting close to the end of my visit. Oh, how I wished my trip could be extended but alas, I had to return to the states to my home and workplace. As I stood on the terrace, I watched and

UNICEF’s latest data on Senegalese’s early childhood education indicates that attendance in early education is at 22%, gross enrollment ration (GER) in pre-primary education is at 15%. The net attendance ratio (NER) in primary education is 64%, and the proportion of out-of-school children of primary education is 21%. The proportion of children starting 1st grade and attaining 5th grade is 61%. The country’s literacy rate of 15 – 24 years old is 66% (https://data.unicef.org/

What is health security? “Health security is the awareness of being secure that health is good and if not there are ways to obtain care to return to good health. It aims to guarantee a minimum protection from diseases and unhealthy lifestyles” https://goo.gl/pWDRHK). Over the past 17 years thousands of lives have been lost, and billions of dollars of countries income have been wiped out due to multiple pandemics. Most recently, there has been the terrible effects of Zika in

Climate change is not only affecting the weather but also planet earth, plants, animals, and humans’ health. When there is an economic crisis, low-income and then middle-income people are affected first. So also with climate change, low-income and then middle-income countries are demonstrating the worst health impacts due to climate change. The health of human beings has been affected, and will continue to be affected especially in countries with weak healthcare systems and

As of June, 5th 2017 the CDC states that about 700 women in the United States die each year at delivery or soon after delivery due to complications during childbirth (https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth). A USAID report states that in Senegal, “almost 1,800 women will lose their lives every year while giving birth. The major cause of these deaths is massive, uncontrolled bleeding following delivery, a condition known as postpartum hemorrhage” (www.usaid.gov). In an effort

Malaria in Senegal Kaolack is a town in Medina Baye, Senegal with about 170,000 people on the North Bank of the Saloum River. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders Gambia to the south. While the number of reported malaria cases has decreased in recent years, malaria is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and a priority for the Senegalese government. Malaria is endemic throughout Senegal, and the entire population is at risk. Vulnerable groups

Food Insecurity in Senegal Senegal has a population of 15 million people of which 46.7% live in poverty, and 50% are food insecure (World Food Programme, 2017). Reoccurring droughts and floods have lead to severe weakening of food security in northern and central Senegal. Senegal’s economy depends on cash crops and fishing, both of which have been affected by climate change. The result has been harvest deficits in 2014 and 2015 (www.wfg.org). What is CNP’s mission? Our miss

Whenever I speak about the Cisse Niass Project people are curious to know how we began. In 2013 I was asked by a community leader in Senegal, Africa to help the villages of Kaolack and Kahone in Senegal build a school. As an educational leader and change maker I understood that a school cannot stand without supporting programs for food, health and medicines. Over the last three and a half years I developed the Cisse Niass Project, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization. C